SWAT call deters school buses: Man threatened to harm himself before standoff at Greenfield home

GREENFIELD – A cut-off 911 call sent first-responders rushing to a Greenfield home early Friday morning, where an armed man had barricaded himself and a woman in his home, according to investigators.

Hancock County’s SWAT team surrounded the place in the 300 block of Woodland East Drive in Greenfield, and the man eventually surrendered after hours of negotiations, officials said. He was taken to an area hospital for evaluation and could be charged criminally, officials said.

Police presence near the man’s home prevented buses from Mt. Vernon Schools from entering the neighborhood where he lived. School officials told students via Twitter that they’d have to find an alternative way to school Friday.

The incident took place in at a home inside the Glen Oaks subdivision near the Hancock-Marion county line.

At around 3:45 a.m., someone from inside the home called 911 but hung up. When dispatchers dialed back, a man answered the phone and made threats to harm himself.

Deputies with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department and Cumberland Police Department officers responded to the home. There, they found a man walking around the residence with a long-barrel weapon, officials said.

A woman who had been inside the home with the suspect took refuge in a police car when officers arrived. She told investigators she had gotten into physical fight with the man, who threatened her and refused to let her leave the home, officials said.

The woman was taken to Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for a precautionary examination.

Officers stayed on scene for about four hours negotiating with the man. He came outside around 7:30 a.m. and was taken into custody without further incident, officials said.

After searching the home, police found the man had fired a gun into the ceiling several times. Officers found several weapons inside the house, officials said.

The man was taken to Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital for an evaluation as police continued to investigate. Police say they’ll send a report to the Hancock County Prosecutor’s Office asking that criminal charges be filed against him.

Mt. Vernon Superintendent Shane Robbins posted to Twitter around 6 a.m. Friday that police were keeping buses from coming into the Glen Oaks subdivision. The tweet was then shared by the school corporation’s official account and posted the district’s Facebook page.

Students were asked to make other arrangements to get to school that morning, according to the post.